Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Second Round Series

The Golden State Warriors have been waiting since last Saturday to find out who their opponent would be in the 2015 Western Conference semifinals, and after last night’s Game 5, they finally learned it would be the Memphis Grizzlies.

In three regular season meetings, the Warriors won the series 2-1. The two wins came in the last three weeks of the season. The one loss came back in December, in a game the Warriors played without Andrew Bogut, before the Jeff Green trade ever happened.

After trading for Green, the Grizzlies closed the season with a 29-16 record. Before that trade, Memphis had compiled a 26-11 record.

In other words, these are two very different teams from the ones we saw play in that Dec. 16 loss for the Dubs, and Golden State’s two recent wins over the Grizzlies showed how far they have grown apart since then.

Still, this is the playoffs. Regular season meetings mean nothing now, and the gritty Grizzlies are never a fun playoff opponent. So in that spirit, it’s time to take a look at the five biggest factors for the Golden State Warriors to win this second round series.

Honorable Mention: Minimize Bench Harm

The Grizzlies’ bench has vastly outplayed the Warriors’ reserves in these playoffs, but that’s mostly because Steve Kerr was unable to play his subs for very long in a competitive first round series. If Golden State’s bench can give Kerr something, anything, it’d be a welcome addition, but the truth is, Memphis needs their reserves far more than the Warriors need theirs.

Next: No. 5